Deer & Deer Hunting Forums: White Tail Deer Hunting Forum

Thanks to a better slug gun set up this year, I will be able to let doe move on a bit further before I have to make the decision as to whether or not to shoot or let them walk in hopes that a buck is trailing. I have heard that tail flagging and/or looking back every so often is a sign that they have a buck in trail. Any thruth to this? Any other clues? If they are milling around, I'll keep a bead on them all day, waiting. If they look as though they are going to wander off, I would like to at least have some kind of idea what, if anything might be following.

Thanks to a better slug gun set up this year, I will be able to let doe move on a bit further before I have to make the decision as to whether or not to shoot or let them walk in hopes that a buck is trailing. I have heard that tail flagging and/or looking back every so often is a sign that they have a buck in trail. Any thruth to this? Any other clues? If they are milling around, I'll keep a bead on them all day, waiting. If they look as though they are going to wander off, I would like to at least have some kind of idea what, if anything might be following.

Ya know that is interesting. I had a doe and her fawn come by late last night. A little too far, a little too dark so I just watched them.They had come from downwind of me and I think that was the reason she took her time but she eventually relaxed enough and moved out into the field. While I was packing up and getting ready to climb down, I saw her tail go up in the gloom as she stared straight ahead of her. When I stepped into the field there were three deer standing there, and the third acted like a buck.

There may be some truth to it, but I've also watched many does feeding in plots, always looking back or ocassionally flagging their tails, and there is nothing there. The one I shot a couple of weeks ago was real skittish and looking all about into the woods and behind her, but that was just her.

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” Aldo Leopold

I would say that if the doe is by herself, acting nervous, with her tail sticking straight out - theres a good chance that she is in heat.

I agree Goose. Nothing is for certain, but at this time of the year is she is by herself, that's a pretty good indication that she's in heat. The body language plays a part in it too, and also LOCATION. If you see one that's just come from an area that you know scrapes are in, then you may just have hit pay-dirt.

I had a situation just like this several years ago during gun season, where I was able to watch a corner of a wooded, creek/levee, CRP field, and river bottom woods meet. About 60 yards off this corner was a worked scrape. At about 8:30 I saw a single doe pee in the scrape, and rub her face on the branch above it. I was so excited I damn near fell off the round bale I was perched on that was set just inside the woods. I finally killed a nice 12 pointer from that spot, but it wasn't until the next day. I did see about 15 deer from that spot, and had one forky walk about 8 YARDS DOWNWIND of me and didn't smell me! I was about 10 feet in the air, so maybe my scent blew right over him.

Kind of what I figured. Thanks. I'll check around for scrapes as much as I can. The only problem is that the expected direction they will be coming from is posted land. No chance of scrape scouting there. I think that I'll just let them mill around for as long as possible. I stress expected because on the opener in state woods...all bets are off. I get a better pattern in the rug.